Chris McCandles was an idealistic young man who tried to live the lifestyle of Jack London's adventures. I respect his idealism and his determination to live out his life based on his ideas, which is something most people do not do. Unfortunately, McCandles did not survive his ultimate odyssey in the Alaskan wilderness. This was entirely preventable, he could have lived had he not been so caught up in the romanticized wilderness brought on by his desire to escape the world.
You can tell that McCandles had family issues that caused this desire to escape the modern world and seek adventure This is why McCandles rarely and vaguely discuss his old life, going so far as renaming himself to try to remove any connection to his old life.
At the deadly, sad, end of his life's story, McCandles writes his real name in his journal entries. In a way, he is admitting that he is really not Alexander Super but Chris McCandles, a young man who only wanted to escape the struggles of his old life.